Most predictable article of the year award goes to....

Anyays, Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto has confirmed in the Saturday evening edition of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper that his "Naruto" manga, which has been serialised in Weekly Shonen Jump Magazine, is reaching its climax and that "How the story will end has already been set in my mind, so the story is just 'racing headlong in that direction.'"

For those who have been following the series, this is hardly a surprising revelation, but for the sake of spoilers, I shan't disclose here. I give it about 4-5 months though.

Not that I mean to complain but is this really news? Since he's been saying that for a while, it's talked about is some of the author comments at the start of the later volumes.

One might also consider that "racing head long in that direction" should not, in most cases, involve trampling the sole remaining highlights of the series.

^ Pakkun got trampled on! The cheek!

How can one climax with balls as blue (and probably dead) as they are in the case of Naruto?

I remember a throwaway comment in one of the early 50s about it, but it was a while since that was released and as we're getting pretty close to the conclusion, seems about right to remind people that this is actually ending xD.

Meanwhile Oda is lying on a bed made of the cash made from merchandise sales in the last week for One Piece, wondering if he's halfway through yet.

Whoa. I knew Naruto had been going a long time, but it was last slated to finish in the early 50s? Six decades of filler seems like pushing it.

Think he meant Volume 50, not chapter 50 haha

Yup. Just taking a look through my volumes, it was in 47, so I was close:


He referenced it again in 48:

I think Ayase was joking about the number of years not the number of chapters or volumes.